About us

BACKGROUND

Rural Water and Sanitation Support Agency (RUWASSA) is national nongovernmental organization (NNGO) founded and registered with the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development. RUWASSA works to build the capacities of local actors to realize poverty reduction and good governance in the areas of increasing access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The targeted local actors include: RSS offices at the National, State and County levels and non-state actors: private sector, NGOs, CBOs and civil society.

RUWASSA has been operating in the WASH sector since its establishment in 2008 in Lakes State and has expanded its WASH programmes to other States within South Sudan.

WHY RUWASSA WAS ESTABLISHED?

Without safe water or sanitation, people are trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease. Across the developing world, millions of women are wasting precious time collecting dirty water, children are dying from preventable diarrheal diseases, and communities have open sewers running through them which is a hinderance to their education and health.

In South Sudan, the situation is very severe. Statistics indicate that 50 per cent of the population do not have access to safe water supplies, while just 10 per cent have access to improved sanitation. Only 45 per cent of South Sudan’s 3,349 basic primary schools have access to safe water and 17 percent have improved sanitary latrines for both girls and boys. One third of children under the age of five suffer from diarrhea. The resultant effect of this has been high levels child mortality resulting from preventable diarrheal infections and guinea-worm infections in South Sudan are ranked the world’s second holder of all world guinea-worm infections.

Making improvements in the areas of water and sanitation is vital to transforming people’s lives. Women and children are the most affected by the lack of water as they must devote most of their time and energy to fetch water from distant sources. Frequent trips to the water sources predispose the health of women, girls and children at risk, as well as their safety. A lack of access to adequate and safe water also affects the education of children especially girls as they spend time walking long distances to fetch water rather than be in school.

RUWASSA was established to engage with communities and stakeholders to establish lasting solutions that can help in addressing such challenges. Through working in partnership with sponsors, donors, NGOs, Government, community leadership forums and with beneficiaries. 

RUWASSA hopes to reduce public health risk and vulnerability of most vulnerable populations in South Sudan enabling them to have access to adequate and safe water supply. 

RUWASSA works in collaboration with government, international and national organizations to develop the rural communities into a healthy place to live.

VISION

An empowered, healthy and peaceful community with sustainable safe water supply, sanitation facilities and improved hygiene practices within its niche.

MISSION

To engage with communities to enable them make meaningful choices that result into provision of and access to safe Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and healthy practices.

OBJECTIVES

  • 1. Improve the health and livelihood of the vulnerable population through provision of adequate safe water supply and sanitation facilities.

  • 2. Reduce burden on women over access to safe water and improve their chances for education and development.

  • 3. Promote improved hygiene practices in schools, health centers and at household level.

  • 4. Increase equitable and sustainable access to, and use of, safe water and basic sanitation services.

  • 5. Promote child-friendly water and sanitation facilities and hygiene education programmes in schools.

RUWASSA CORE VALUES

  • 1. Equal Opportunity– We ensure equity and non-discrimination of our beneficiaries in all programme activities. We strive to be an equitable and inclusive organization, rich with diversity, protecting human rights based upon understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of every person.

  • 2. Integrity – We promote a high sense of moral and ethical standard in all our dealings with stakeholders and the public.

  • 3. Transparency and Accountability – We ensure a high level of openness and responsibility to all our stakeholders

  • 4. Quality- We are committed in ensuring delivery of right quality services to all our clientele that enables realization of value for money.

  • 5. Stakeholder Participation - We work with rural communities, private sector, NGOs, government departments as partners and equals, uniting in mutual recognition of the challenges, resource capabilities and opportunities. We listen closely to them, learn from them, and we jointly develop lasting solutions.

RUWASSA'S MOTTO

“For water supply, sanitation and infrastructure development to meet demand in rural and semi urban communities.”

Slogan; ‘Water is Life and for Economic Development, Sanitation is Dignity and for Productive Citizens’